{"id":6013,"date":"2011-02-25T06:25:13","date_gmt":"2011-02-25T13:25:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/?p=6013"},"modified":"2011-02-20T11:32:29","modified_gmt":"2011-02-20T18:32:29","slug":"5-project-management-interview-mistakes-that-make-you-look-dumb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/?p=6013","title":{"rendered":"5 Project Management Interview Mistakes That Make You Look Dumb"},"content":{"rendered":"

So you\u00a0landed an interview<\/a> for a project management role.\u00a0 Congratulations!<\/p>\n

Being evil<\/span> yourself in an interview is critical, because you want them to see who you really are.\u00a0 If there is a fit between you and the organization, it will be found if you treat this like an engaging discussion.<\/p>\n

\"~<\/a>But there are mistakes that can detract from your credibility.\u00a0 While we all hope our qualifications and fit are more important than impressions from a single contact, the truth is some hiring managers will be completely turned off if you make dumb mistakes during the interview, and hiring you will be out of the question.<\/p>\n

Here are five mistakes to avoid when doing a project management interview.<\/p>\n

1. Fail to Sell Yourself<\/h1>\n

The first step in selling something is to know what your potential customers need.\u00a0 In this case, that\u2019s the hiring manager(s).<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s see\u2026how would you know what they need?\u00a0 You\u2019d better know!\u00a0 A combination of the job description, information gleaned from other conversations, and insights from your network are vital.<\/p>\n

Now that you have that figured out, it\u2019s up to you to connect your\u00a0experiences and talents<\/a> make you a perfect fit for their needs.<\/p>\n

They want to know why they should hire you specifically.<\/p>\n

Make it crystal clear.<\/p>\n

2. Trash Talking<\/h1>\n

You suspect your former boss was possessed by demons?<\/p>\n

Great theory.\u00a0 NOT the time to explore it.<\/p>\n

Sometimes we can fall into the trap of talking smack because in some situations, it can foster a bond.\u00a0 It\u2019s the in-group\/out-group thing that\u2019s built into our brains.<\/p>\n

This is NOT one of those situations.<\/p>\n

In an interview situation, the logical extension of you complaining about previous employers or co-workers is that you will continue this behavior if you come work for them.\u00a0 When you don\u2019t get your way, your preferred method of dealing with it is passive-aggressively putting others down behind their backs.<\/p>\n

At least, that\u2019s the impression you leave.<\/p>\n

When I witness this in an interview, in casual conversation at the water cooler, wherever\u2026.\u00a0 it sets alarm bells off in my head.\u00a0 \u201cI see your true colors\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Definitely not a way to\u00a0hook a gig as a project manager<\/a>.<\/p>\n

3. Talking Too Much<\/h1>\n

You may think this is an interrogation.\u00a0 It\u2019s not.<\/p>\n

You may think this is your personal 15 minutes of fame.\u00a0 It\u2019s not.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a\u00a0conversation<\/a>.\u00a0 Bring balance to it.<\/p>\n

Answers to questions should be as clear and vivid as possible, while also being as concise as possible.\u00a0 When you start rambling on, the interviewer starts thinking, \u201cHey, what are they talking about now?\u00a0 I can\u2019t even remember my question anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

I have found that as long as you are able to deliver your message and get your points across, the best interviews involve the hiring manager doing about half of the talking.\u00a0 I like to ask specific questions occasionally to dig into topics like what kind of work they do? How does project management work in your department?\u00a0 What is the project the department has done recently that you are most proud of?<\/p>\n

These questions do a few very important things for you.<\/p>\n

First<\/strong>, they give you excellent information that you are really interested in.\u00a0 I deeply care about how much a company values\u00a0project management as a discipline<\/a>.\u00a0 I really want to know how they execute projects and build the products.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want to find out after I\u2019ve been hired.\u00a0 I have a genuine interest.<\/p>\n

Second<\/strong>, have you ever noticed a specific trait about some of the people who you really enjoy talking to and working with?\u00a0 You know, the ones who are genuinely interested in what you think and ask how things are going\u2026not in a generic way but about specific things they know are important to you.<\/p>\n

Yeah, I love those people.\u00a0 I like to hire them too.<\/p>\n

4. Money Talk<\/h1>\n

This cuts both ways.<\/p>\n

Hiring managers who don\u2019t know what\u2019s really important about acquiring staff will ask it.\u00a0 Inexperienced candidates will answer them.\u00a0 Some candidates may even ask the question.<\/p>\n

Salary<\/a> is off limits until you\u2019ve won them over.<\/p>\n

Imagine if you went to buy a product, and before even telling you much about it the salesman asks to see your credit report.\u00a0 You\u2019d walk away in disgust.\u00a0 That\u2019s what you are doing to the hiring manager when you ask \u201cHow much does this job pay?\u201d\u00a0 Tacky.<\/p>\n

If they bring it up too soon (which unfortunately, happens a lot) I like to respond with something to the effect of \u201cWouldn\u2019t you like to know a bit more about me before offering me the job?\u201d\u00a0 Not everyone can pull this off without sounding snarky, so here\u2019s a more benign version.\u00a0 \u201cI prefer to discuss compensation at the time of a job offer.\u201d<\/p>\n

5.Not Following Up<\/h1>\n

Odd, this.\u00a0 Very odd.<\/p>\n

When you are at the end of a first date with someone who you are\u00a0really<\/strong> interested in, do you ask when you can see them again?\u00a0 Of course!<\/p>\n

Do you call them afterward and try to arrange another date, because you had such a blast with them on the first one?\u00a0 Of course you do!<\/p>\n

So why wouldn\u2019t you follow-up with a company you\u00a0really<\/strong> want to go work for?<\/p>\n

Send an email afterward thanking them for their time and consideration.\u00a0 Send a hand-written note they\u2019ll receive a few days later.\u00a0 Call in about a week to ask how things are going and let them know you\u2019d love to come in for a follow-up discussion.<\/p>\n

Just do it.<\/p>\n

P.S.<\/strong> You may find it amusing to know that I have made all of these dumb mistakes myself at one time or another. I only gained perspective after being on the other side of the table, seeking candidates to hire for my teams. When you are in shock at how a particular candidate could do such a thing, and then realize you actually do it too, it\u2019s quite an epiphany.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So you\u00a0landed an interview for a project management role.\u00a0 Congratulations! Being evil yourself in an interview is critical, because you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":116,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[899],"tags":[900,669],"class_list":["post-6013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-career-2","tag-project-management-career","tag-project-manager-career"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6013","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/116"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6013"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6013\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6013"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}